High school coach carousel spins faster than usual

By Lorne Chan :
July 28, 2012
: Updated: July 29, 2012 12:38am

Central Catholic’s Don Byrd is one of 22 new head football coaches in the area.

Photo By Edward A. Ornelas/San Antonio Express-News

Madison's head coach Jim Streety reacts on the sidelines after an extra point during second half action of their Class 5A Division I state quarterfinal game with Harlingen Friday Dec. 2, 2011 at Javelina Stadium in Kingsville, Tx. Madison won 42-27.

He became Central's head coach in March after 28 years at Heights, where he began as an assistant in 1984. Byrd's migration was part of a busy offseason for the area and state's football programs, with 22 of the area's 83 high schools finding new head football coaches. Statewide, the turnover was at about 250 head coaches.

“It definitely seems like there were a lot of changes this year, and our profession goes in spurts like that,” Byrd said. “It's a combination of things. Some coaches are finding new opportunities, a lot of us are hitting a retirement age, and I don't know if you're going to see as much longevity at one school anymore.”

The coaching carousel also has been amplified by four of the top seven programs in the area hiring new head coaches in the offseason.

Byrd, 55, went to the Buttons from Alamo Heights, where he had a 147-58 record, including the 2006 Class 4A Division I state title. He moves to Central, which replaced Chris Roberts after one season. The Buttons became a private school power under Carlos Enrico, who had a 159-107-2 record in 24 seasons as coach before he resigned in 2011.

Byrd also applied for the coaching job at Judson, where the Rockets have had 35 consecutive winning seasons and are the area's most successful program with six state championships. The job went to Mark Smith, who left Kerrville Tivy and guided the Antlers to the playoffs in all 10 seasons as coach.

Smith said that the days of coaches such as Corpus Christi Calallen's Phil Danaher, who is entering his 29th season at the school and 39th overall, and Bob Shelton, who coached at Hays from 1968-2010, may be over. With changing pressures on coaches and administrators, Smith said a coach who stays in one place for decades may be becoming extinct.

“The face of education is changing,” Smith said. “Coaches are measured every Friday night, but that's just part of it. Principals and administrators are measured in a similar way when the test scores and budgets come out. Everybody's getting evaluated a lot more. Just like any other profession, you're seeing a lot more ‘what are you doing for me now?'”

Only three area Class 5A coaches have been at their schools for 10 seasons or more. Jim Streety is entering his 22nd season at Madison, Larry Hill is going into his 20th at Smithson Valley and Bryan Dausin enters his 11th at Warren.

Streety also spent 17 seasons at New Braunfels before he took over at Madison. He's well aware his career path has been a rarity in coaching.

Plenty of variables created coaching changes at four of the area's top programs this offseason. The way Streety sees it, sometimes everything just comes down to being in the land of opportunity.

“Coaches are always going to be seen as nomadic,” Streety said. “It doesn't always have to be like that, and I've been blessed. But it's also part of the American way to look for a better place.”